The Culture Bar

We talk to HarrisonParrott Artist and Project Manager Arna Jonsdottir to tell us more about the sounds of Iceland. Arna tells us what influences there are on Icelandic music, what we can expect when listening to Icelandic music, and introduces us to two Icelandic composers. As well as providing listeners with a wealth of musical insights, Arna also gives us her personal recommendations for an Icelandic book, album and film, so we can dive deeper into understanding Icelandic culture and its contribution to the world. Arna was interviewed by HP’s Fiona Livingston. Arna’s Recommendations:Book: Independent People by Nobel laureate Halldór LaxnessAlbum: Önnur Mósesbók with Moses HightowerFilm: Woman at War by Benedikt ErlingssonRímur: Listen to Icelandic folk traditional singingTraditional Icelandic langspil and fidla (fiðla) instruments: Find out moreBathroom Dance, from the film Joker composed by Halldór Úlfarsson: Watch here The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts. Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites. Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases

In this International Women’s Day After Hours chat, we speak to Andrea Berbegal, Director of Development at Brass for Africa, and Sumayya, Music and Life-Skills Teacher based in Uganda. Our conversation focussed on the important work Brass for Africa do tackling gender inequality in communities in Uganda, Rwanda and Liberia. Not only educating young people to play brass instruments, but also using the power of music to bridge gender inequality divides, and to empower, inspire and give confidence to women in these communities to follow their dreams.Interviewed and hosted by HP’s Fiona Livingston Links and Resources Brass for Africa is an award-winning charity that delivers music education with integrated life-skills training to over 1,000 disadvantaged children and young people in Uganda, Liberia and Rwanda. Working in partnership with over 20 community-based organisations, our local team of teachers are all African and alumni of the programmes themselves. They teach music, and through an integrated life-skills curriculum, nurture transferable skills such as self-confidence, perseverance, concentration and communication. Music is an incredibly powerful tool to engage and transform and Brass for Africa uses music to champion our four strategic goals of; workplace readiness, community empowerment, disability inclusion and gender equality. We want to equip children, young people and their communities with the skills to fulfil their potential and thrive. From 1 – 31 March, Brass for Africa is launching BreakTheBias Campaign aimed at raising enough to fund one entire year of music and life-skills education for 250 girls in sub-Saharan Africa. Visit the link to find out more about how you can get involved! This is the fifth episode in our spin-off series of short After Hours chats discussing issues relating more broadly to the arts and culture sector. The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts. Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases. A special thank you to Robert Cochrane as the composer of the theme tune music, and Merlyn Thomas our editor. Photo credit: ©️Geoffroy Schied / MUSIC CONNECTS

In our ​‘speed pod’ mini-series of quick insights into music and culture from around the world, we talk to music industry professionals about the music of their homeland, to give us a view into different music, composers, sounds and instruments which make music both unique and universal.  In this episode, we talked to HarrisonParrott Marketing Assistant Holly Gedge to tell us more about the sounds of Wales. Holly tells us what influences there are on Welsh music, what we can expect when listening to Welsh music, and introduces us to two Welsh composers. As well as providing listeners with a wealth of musical insights, Holly also gives us her personal recommendations for a Welsh book, album and film, so we can dive deeper into understanding Welsh culture and its contribution to the world. Holly was interviewed by HP’s Fiona Livingston. Holly’s Recommendations:Book: Running for the Hills by Horatio Clare Album: Live at Treorchy with Max BoyceFilm: Dream HorseYouTube: Wales singing National anthem before beating England 30 – 3 in Rugby The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts. Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites. Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases  

In this speed pod episode, we talked to HarrisonParrott Artist Coordinator Maja Rath to tell us more about the sounds of Poland. Maja tells us about what influences there are on Polish music, and introduces us to several highly influential Polish composers. As well as providing listeners with a wealth of musical insights, Maja also gives us her personal recommendations for a Polish novelist, album and film, so we can dive deeper into understanding Polish culture and its contribution to the world. Maja was interviewed by HP’s Fiona Livingston. Maja’s Recommendations: Book (novelist): Stanisław Lem — sci-fi author of Solaris. Album: Zakopower’s Boso Film: The Pianist, director Roman Polanski. Watch the trailer here. Listen to Maja’s Spotify playlist of Polish music recommendations here.  The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts. Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites. Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases

In this special Festive speed podcast, we talk to five HarrisonParrott colleagues about the festive music from their homeland including UK, Japan, China and Norway, and the music that brings them a sense of nostalgia at this time of year.Thank you to Yukiko Shishikura, Lissy Kelleher Clarke, Henry Southern, Karoline Meltstveit, and Kerry Chen. Their recommendations include:Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 — Bach Collegium Japan conducted by Maasaki SuzukiGodnattsang for Nissunger — AmalieLonely Christmas — Eason ChenNow That’s What I Call Christmas 1984 — assorted artistsListen to the Spotify playlist here. The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts. Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites. Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases.

In this episode of The Culture Bar, we reflect on the learnings and outcomes of the COP26 conference in Glasgow and how these can be integrated into delivering global creative projects whilst still conserving the planet. Our discussion also considers the merits (or not!) of digital and virtual experiences vs in-person interactions, as well as discussing what future methods are out there to ensure that cultural exchange still takes place. We are joined by four expert panellists to share in these reflections: Brandon Ferderer – Director of Global Community, Shared_Studios Samantha McShane – Head of Artistic Planning, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Rosanna Lewis – Creative Commissions and Culture & Development Lead, British Council Lauren Livesey – Partnerships Manager, Curatours Hosted by HP’s Henry Southern The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts. Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer and all good podcatcher sites. Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases A special thank you to Robert Cochrane as the composer of the theme tune music, and Merlyn Thomas our editor.

In our ​‘speed pod’ mini-series of quick insights into music and culture from around the world, we talk to music industry professionals about the music of their homeland, to give us a view into different music, composers, sounds and instruments which make music both unique and universal.  In this episode, we will be talking to HarrisonParrott Marketing Intern Kerry Chen to tell us more about the sounds of c‑pop music in China. Kerry tells us about what influences there are on Chinese pop music, the musical sounds and influences that are associated with this genre, and introduces us to several leading figures in the c‑pop world. As well as providing listeners with a wealth of musical insights, Kerry also gives us her personal recommendations for two books, album and film, so we can dive deeper into understanding Chinese culture and its contribution to the world. Kerry was interviewed by HP’s Fiona Livingston. Kerry’s Recommendations: Books: Frog, by Moyan, and Tiny Times, by Guo JingmingAlbum: Fantasy from Jay ChouFilm: You are the Apple of my Eye, director: Giddens Ko  The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts. Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites. Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases.

In this Speed Pod mini-series episode, we talk to Birdsong Publishing Manager Milly Paine to tell us more about, and demystify, the world of music publishing. As well as telling us what music publishing is, Milly also enlightens us as to what a publishing manager does, what happens to composers’ music, how they get paid, creative outlets for their music, and how a publishing manager can help a composer’s career to grow. Resources: Birdsong Music Publishers Association Musicians Union

In our ​‘speed pod’ mini-series of quick insights into music and culture from around the world, we talk to music industry professionals about the music of their homeland, to give us a view into different music, composers, sounds and instruments which make music both unique and universal. Today, we will be talking to HarrisonParrott Artist Coordinator Theodor Küng to tell us more about the sounds of Switzerland. Theo tells us about what influences there are on Swiss music, the musical sounds that are associated with the country, unique musical instruments, and introduces us to several Swiss composers. As well as providing listeners with a wealth of musical insights, Theo also gives us his personal recommendations for a Swiss book, album and film, so we can dive deeper into understanding Swiss culture and its contribution to the world. Theo was interviewed by HP’s Fiona Livingston.

A special podcast episode for Black History Month, we delve into race and the civic responsibility of the arts.  In this insightful and inspiring conversation, we are thrilled to be joined by these wonderful panellists: Michael ​‘Mikey J’ Asante – producer, composer, musician, dancer and DJ; co-founder and co-artistic director of the hip-hop dance company, Boy Blue Kaya Brown – Artist Coordinator at Polyarts and Creative Access alumnus Cliff Fluet – Joint Head of Media & Entertainment at Lewis Silkin, Chair of the Ivors Academy Trust, and Help Musicians Trustee Samir Savant – CEO of St George’s Bristol and trustee for the HarrisonParrott Foundation Hosted by HP's Henry Southern This episode is part of our ​‘Under the Spotlight’ podcast series where we shine a light on ​‘challenging’ topics in the arts, and focus on guests living these experiences and who are working to create change in the sector. The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts. Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases A special thank you to Robert Cochrane as the composer of the theme tune music, and Merlyn Thomas our editor.

How does your brain respond to music? We discuss the links between music psychology and neuroscience, investigating topics such as exposure to music in young children, music perception and the cognitive neuroscience of music. We are joined by three expert panellists to help us navigate this fascinating topic: Professor Lauren Stewart Lauren is a Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths where she founded the MSc in Music Mind and Brain and co-leads a research group in this area. She has published widely on topics including learning and plasticity, congenital amusia, earworms and therapeutic aspects of music. She has been engaged in several citizen science and public engagement projects, including a Silent Disco earworm experiment at Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry, a live experiment on musical plagiarism at the Science Museum’s Dana Centre and an in-depth discussion on the ​‘Tingle Factor’ in music as part of Radio 3’s Wellcome Collection residency. Professor Daniel Müllensiefen Daniel is a Professor in Psychology at Goldsmiths and also a research fellow with the University of Music, Drama, and Media at Hannover, Germany. He is interested in (almost) all questions relating to music psychology, ranging from industry-related work on music and advertising (working as Scientist in Residence with adam&eveDDB) to individual differences in musical ability and to musical memory and plagiarism. Daniel was awarded the prestigious Anneliese-Maier award by the Humboldt- Foundation in 2016 and is the editor of the international open-access journal Empirical Musicology Review. He is currently heading the LongGold project, a longitudinal study on the development of musical and other cognitive and social abilities during adolescence. Dr Diana Omigie Diana Omigie is a cognitive neuroscientist and member of the Music, Mind and Brain research group at Goldsmiths where she co-directs the MSc programme in Music, Mind and Brain with Daniel Müllensiefen. Her research interests revolve around the behavioural, physiological and neural correlates of music-induced emotions and the aesthetic experience. Hosted by HP’s Lissy Kelleher-Clarke (MSc Music, Mind & Brain alumnus) Useful links and resources:Music Mind and Brain blogPANC BlogMSc Music, Mind & Brain course information The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts.

Welcome to Creative Iceland – a special The Culture Bar mini-podcast series focusing on the creative scene in Iceland.  This series is hosted by Icelander Arna Margrét Jónsdóttir from HarrisonParrott. Arna will be speaking with fellow Icelanders about various topics related to the creative scene in Iceland. In this first episode, we are joined by Dr. Arnar Eggert Thoroddsen an Icelandic music journalist and scholar, and we discuss the popular assertion that the unique natural environment is the source of creative inspiration for artists and creatives in Iceland. Iceland has long been associated with a high level of creativity and many believe the country’s striking natural environment is a major contributing factor when it comes to creative inspiration. During this interview, we focus on the music scene and explore why this connection between nature and creativity has become so dominant in the discourse around the creative scene in Iceland and how it affects the artists and the scene as a whole. Thoroddsen is the director of the undergraduate media and communication studies programme at The University of Iceland. He earned his Master’s Degree from the University of Edinburgh in 2013 and a PhD in 2019 from the same university, where he carried out a research on the social dynamics of Icelandic musicians under the supervision of Professor Simon Frith. He is the author of three books on Icelandic music with the fourth in the writing stage. He’s been writing about music and popular culture since 1999, mainly for Morgunblaðið daily but his writings have also appeared in article collections and music sites abroad.

In this bonus episode of The Culture Bar podcast, we are sharing something a little bit different with you; a compilation of responses to a special bonus question we asked some of our guests from previous episodes. We asked this post-interview question: ‘How will technology influence arts and culture?'. These informative, insightful ideas, predictions and thoughts have been edited together so you can hear how music and arts experts think digital and tech will impact the sector, and what this might look like.   You will hear opinions from: Professor Anatol Lieven of Georgetown University in Qatar, from our first episode ‘The Green New Deal and the Arts’, thinking about technology in the context of architecture, sustainability and public spaces. Arts development and fundraising experts Diana Williams, Simon Fairclough from CBSO, and Charlotte Appleyard from Royal Academy of Arts appeared in our second episode ‘Sponsorship in a Pandemic', and talked about the need for a blended approach of live and digital. Guests Nadia Race Director of International Engagement at the British Museum, Roy Luxford Planning and Operations Director from Edinburgh International Festival and Rafi Gokay-Wol Director of Touring at HarrisonParrott talked in-depth about technology and culture in episode Number 3 'International Cultural Exchange’, and gave us an international perspective on tech and the arts. Our fourth podcast ‘Tech, COVID and the Future’ was exactly about this topic and explored in-depth by Till Janczukowicz from Idagio, Ben Hogwood from Naxos, and Silvia Pietrosanti from Pentatone, and provided insights into how tech gives greater access to new audiences and breaks down barriers. Choral experts Paul Evans, Canon of Ely Cathedral, Sofi Jeannin Chief Conductor BBC Singers and Music Director of the Maîtrise de Radio France, and Tido Visser Artistic Director of Netherlands Chamber Choir from episode Number 5 'How can sacred music be relevant in a secular society?' discussed how we need to increasingly think about music as a visual medium.  Finally, in episode Number 10 ‘Oil & Water: Can Art and Digital Mix?’ mixed media artist Laura Hendricks and Assistant Art Gallery Curator Wells Fray-Smith from Whitechapel Gallery reflected on how technology can help communicate artworks to audiences.  The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts. Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites. Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases. A special thank you to Robert Cochrane as the composer of the theme tune music, and Merlyn Thomas our editor.

“…it’s not who you are, but what you bring” In this After Hours fireside chat, we spoke to playwright Fin Kennedy. Our conversation focussed on Bringing Diverse Voices to Theatre and Audio Drama.  In this insightful and inspirational interview you will hear: >Fin’s approach to writing dramas and topic focus >insights into his BBC Radio 4 play ​‘On Kosovo Field’ and the inspiration and message behind it >his new audio drama series ​‘Out of the Woods’ supporting emerging Balkan writers >Fin's role as Artistic Director at Tamasha Theatre Company and Tamasha Playwrights >what more needs to be done in the theatre and audio drama industry to ensure marginalised voices are heard > what more could have been done during COVID19 to support theatres and playwrights Interviewed and hosted by HP’s Fiona Livingston Useful links and resources: Connect with Fin:Fin’s Twitter: @finkennedy Resources:Out of the Woods podcast seriesOn Kosovo Field on BBC Radio 4Tamasha Theatre CompanyFin’s In Battalions reportMulberry SchoolIntent New TheatreHope 6 Demolition ProjectUnder the Mask by Shaan Sahota This is the fourth episode in our spin-off series of short After Hours chats discussing issues relating more broadly to the arts and culture sector. The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts. Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases. A special thank you to Robert Cochrane as the composer of the theme tune music, and Merlyn Thomas our editor.

In this After Hours fireside chat, we spoke to Katie Packer, Commissioning Editor at Headline Publishing. Our conversation focussed on the role and importance of women in the publishing sector, achievements and where improvements can be made. In this frank and insightful interview you will hear: >how the publishing industry has evolved >where and in what roles can women be found >where women lead in publishing >what support is there for women wanting to progress through the ranks  >does gender matter when signing an author? >are there gender-specific authoring sectors? >identifying gender bias and lack of BAME representation >inspirational women in publishing >pinpointing gaps for improvement in the industry >key words of advice for women wanting to get into publishing or becoming an author Interviewed and hosted by HP’s Fiona Livingston Useful links and resources: Connect with Katie:Katie’s Twitter: @katierpackerKatie’s Instagram: @katiepacker Books and podcast recommendations:Love in Colour by Bolu BabalolaHoney and Spice by Bolu BabalolaThis is Why I Resist by Dr Shola Mos-ShogbamimuLil’ Kim: The Queen Bee autobiography (not yet published)The Receipts Podcast Inspirational women in publishing:Mireille Harper — Editor Squarepeg BooksKatie Espiner — Managing Director Orion BooksSharmaine Lovegrove — Founder Dialogue Books This is the third episode in our spin-off series of short After Hours chats discussing issues relating more broadly to the arts and culture sector. The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts. Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases. A special thank you to Robert Cochrane as the composer of the theme tune music, and Merlyn Thomas our editor.